MINIPING-PONG (Photographic report)

Since 1998, in collaboration with Foundation Caixa de Sabadell, The Provincial Sport Council (Diputació de Barcelona), The Regional Sport Council, and Generalitat de Catalunya. we have been designing and developing a project of promotion of Miniping-pong. This project gathers at the moment 168 primary schools and 7 secondary schools - more than 30.000 schoolboys and schoolgirls - from eleven towns of the region and ten towns of other nearby regions.

Snapshot of schoolchildren playing at school in Cerdanyola del Vallès. Autor: Josep Ma Ripollès

The Objective

Since the beginning, the objective was called ‘Project 2000’. It consisted in encouraging 2000 boys and girls from El Vallès Occidental to practise table tennis at their school along the year 2000.
Once we achieved this first objective, we have got on the development of the programme in different towns of Catalunya with such a success that it overcomes all the initial expectations.

The results

Since 1998, we have been designing and developing a project of promotion of Miniping-pong. So far, 168 primary schools and 7 secondary schools - more than 26.000 schoolboys and schoolgirls - from eleven towns of the region (Ripollet, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Sant Quirze del Vallès, Barberà del Vallès, Badia del Vallès, Montcada i Reixac, Sabadell, Castellar del Vallès, Palau de Plegamans, Polinyà, and Santa Perpetua de la Mogoda. It also reaches ten towns of other regions (Barcelona, Badalona Sant Adrià del Besos, Santa Coloma de Gramanet, Vilafranca del Penedès, Vilanova i la Getu, Esparraguera, Vic, Manresa, and Granollers).

The introduction at our region of table tennis has been completed in all the towns that take part in the Sport Council of Vallès Occidental Sud.

Sports Council of Vallès Occidental Sud
Ripollet	8 schools: CEIP Josep Ma Ginesta CEIP Enric Tatché CEIP Gassò i Vidal CEIP Rosa Tiana CEIP Escursell CEIP Anselm Clavé Col·legi Sant Esteve Col·legi Verge de Núria	78 tables
Cerdanyola del Vallès	19 schools: CEIP Saltells CEIP Xarau CEIP Turó de Guiera CEIP Sant Martí CEIP Escola Bellaterra CEIP EM La Sínia CEIP Serraparera CEIP Carles Bohigas CEIP Fontetes Col·legi Anunciata Col·legi Montserrat Escola Jeroni de Moragas Escola Ramon Fuster Escola Escala Dei IES Forat del Vent IES Pere Calders IES Banús IES Jaume Mimó IES Gorgs	76 tables
Barberà del Vallès	5 schools: CEIP Can Llobet CEIP Pau Picasso CEIP Elisa Badia CEIP Can Serra CEIP Escola del Bosc	20 tables
Badia del Vallès	6 schools: CEIP La Muñeira CEIP La Sardana CEIP Las Seguidillas IES Badia del Vallès IES de Ciutat Badia	36 tables
Montcada i Reixac	8 schools: CEIP Viver Col·legi Sagrat Cor CEIP Font Freda CEIP Reixac CEIP Elvira Cuyàs CEIP Mitja Costa CEIP El Turó Col·legi La Salle	48 tables

Among the towns that take part in the Sport Council of Vallès Occidental Centre, Sabadell, as the central seat, has been -and still is- the main promoter of the development of the programmes in the town itself and in their smaller surrounding towns.

Sports Council of Vallès Occidental Center
Sabadell	16 schools: CEIP Torreguitart CEIP Joaquim Blume CEIP Ribatallada CEIP Catalunya CEIP Joan Montllor CEIP Creu Alta Col·legi Sagrada Família CEIP Joanot Alisanda CEIP La Roureda CEIP Amadeu Vives CEIP Andreu Castell CEIP Concòrdia CEIP Joan Maragall CEIP Samuntada CEIP Calvet Estrella CEIP Arraona	44 tables
Sant Quirze del Vallès	3 schools: CEIP Purificació Salas CEIP Pilarín Bayès CEIP El Turonet	12 tables
Castellar del Vallès	3 schools: CEIP Emili Carles Toldrà CEIP Mestre Pla CEIP Sant Esteve	12 tables
Santa Perpètua de la Mogoda	1 school: CEIP Bernat Mogoda	4 tables
Palau de Plegamans	1 school: Escola Marinada	4 tables
Polinyà	1 school: CEIP Pere Calders	4 tables

The Sport Council of Vallès Occidental Nord, with Terrassa as central seat, is our next immediate objective to introduce the Miniping-pong. We are doing our best to make possible that all the Vallès Occidental towns have Mini Ping Pong tables at their schools. At the same time, we are expanding our programme to the region’s main towns and other big towns all over Catalunya.

The origins of the project

Table tennis has always found quite many difficulties to be introduced into schools. Therefore, Technicians of The Table Tennis Club Ripollet have been thinking and discussing about that problem. As a matter of fact, some of these technicians have a great experience as teachers in public schools.

The two most evident drawbacks to carry about this project have been:

• Standard tennis tables take up too much space considering the number of boys and girls who can play at the same time.

• The price of these tables reduces the number of them available to each school.

Once analysed the problem, we suggested the introduction of Miniping-pong into schools. This proposal solves in a high percentage the inconveniences detected. We must state, however, that the main aim is to get in touch the greatest number of schoolboys and schoolgirls with our sport in a playful way, as well as with the school games, with the purpose of detecting and diffusing new talents, and not with the idea of training for federate competitions.

Snapshot of a session work at a school in Cerdanyola del Vallès. Autor: Josep Ma Ripollès

Objectives of the programme

• To extend the practise of table tennis to the schools of Vallès Occidental and the whole Catalunya as a means of social integration among the students of the different social groups, especially in those lest favourable places.
• To bring Miniping-pong as a sport within everybody’s reach, thanks to its low cost and high ability to be practised in public places.
• To complement the outdoors Ping-Pong programme with the school mini Ping-Pong programme.
• To promote the school games of table tennis at a local and regional range, increasing the number of participants from each school.
• To collaborate with the Sport Municipality Councils and with the regional Sport Councils to introduce and organise the local table-tennis.
• To promote the creation of a club in those villages and towns of the region which haven’t got one yet, with the following objectives:
• They should take in the increasing demands resulting from the progressive number of players.
• They have to motivate the maintenance of table tennis in the schools of the town.
• They have to collaborate with the organisation of structures at a regional level, being co-ordinated with the regional sport councils and with the Federation of Catalunya in order to widespread the table-tennis all around the region.
• They should provide a wider framework to help the scouting of talents and include them in the programmes of initiation and in the technical programmes of the Federation of Catalunya and Generalitat de Catalunya.

The sponsors of the programme

Acknowledgements

With the support and collaboration of:

Photographic report of the ping-pong and the miniping-pong festivals

PING-PONG FESTIVALS IN THE STREET Barcelona 1999 Barcelona 2000 Sant Cugat 2000 MINIPING-PONG FESTIVALS IN THE STREET Cerdanyola del Vallès (may 2000) Barberà del Vallès (december 2000) Sabadell (april 2001) Badia del Vallès (may 2001) Badalona (may 2001) Montcada i Reixac (june 2001) Sant Adrià de Besòs (september 2001) Vic (march 2002) Badalona 2 (may 2002) Vilafranca del Penedès (june 2002) Esparreguera (setember 2002) Santa Coloma de Gramenet (setember 2002) Vilanova i la Geltrú (may 2003) Manresa (may 2003) Ripollet (may 2003) Granollers (november 2003)

Further information

For any doubt or further information get in touch, without obligation, with:

Joan Arnau i Canalias (Tel. 00 34 607287735) e-mail: jarnau13@pie.xtec.es

CLUB TENNIS DE TAULA RIPOLLET
Poliesportiu Municipal de Ripollet
Magallanes, 22-24 - 08291 Ripollet del Vallès
Tel. 00 34 936915703 (from 19:00 to 21:00) Fax 00 34 935806013

Club e-mail: jcarrion@quintana.tv

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